Every row, every column and every outlined region must hold the same number of stars — one in a 1★ puzzle, two in a 2★ puzzle. Stars may never touch each other, not even diagonally.
Tap a square to cycle it between empty, ✕ (no star here) and ★. Marking the squares that cannot hold a star is most of the work: with Show squares ruled out by my stars on, the squares next to a star and the rest of any full line are dotted for you.
The colours are there to help you see the regions; switch them off for a classic black-and-white look. The 1-star version with coloured regions is the same idea as several popular daily queens-style puzzles.
Place stars so every row, column and region holds the same number, and no two stars touch — not even diagonally.
The full guide, with a worked example and common mistakes: How to play Star Battle.
The 1-star version is: one per row, column and colour region, and none touching. Star Battle also comes in 2-star and 3-star versions on bigger grids, which you can play here.
No. Stars may not touch at all — not side by side and not at a corner.
Open the Star Battle Solver, choose the size and stars per line, paint the regions and press Solve to step through every deduction.
With ‘Show squares ruled out by my stars’ on, dots mark squares that cannot hold a star because they touch one of your stars or sit in a line or region that already has all its stars.